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In my link below,the guy writing the article does make a valid point and I did not realize it until I read this that in reality,I think the Bills let those 3 outstanding players in Fletcher,Clements and Spikes just walk out the door without resistance because they think they can duplicate what New England has done over the years and that is simply do not overpay for a player and if he does not accept the offer let him walk with no apprehension or hesitation.

I really think this is the Bills philosophy but there is one problem - The Bills do not have Belichick or Pioli to pull off letting key players go and don't have the overall talent to overcome these types of moves.

I think the Bills will find out like many other teams who in the future will let their aging but best players go that is you cannot duplicate what NE has done unless you have the FO capable of doing so - Not many teams have a strong FO and coach combos like the Patriots and many will regret losing those players and trying to replace them,some will succeed,many others will fail

I think the copycat Bills will regret this to a record of something like 5-11 this year,They did well in getting Whitner last year and had a good draft this year in getting Lynch and the other rookies but it will be awhile and a few years before it shows on the teams record.

In my link below,the guy writing the article does make a valid point and I did not realize it until I read this that in reality,I think the Bills let those 3 outstanding players in Fletcher,Clements and Spikes just walk out the door without resistance because they think they can duplicate what New England has done over the years and that is simply do not overpay for a player and if he does not accept the offer let him walk with no apprehension or hesitation.

I really think this is the Bills philosophy but there is one problem - The Bills do not have Belichick or Pioli to pull off letting key players go and don't have the overall talent to overcome these types of moves.

I think the Bills will find out like many other teams who in the future will let their aging but best players go that is you cannot duplicate what NE has done unless you have the FO capable of doing so - Not many teams have a strong FO and coach combos like the Patriots and many will regret losing those players and trying to replace them,some will succeed,many others will fail

I think the copycat Bills will regret this to a record of something like 5-11 this year,They did well in getting Whitner last year and had a good draft this year in getting Lynch and the other rookies but it will be awhile and a few years before it shows on the teams record.

The author, Anthony Biali, does not google well but it looks like he is a homer affiliated with Western NY. OTOH, what they seem to be forgetting is keeping the hard nosed veteran who knows how to win al a Willy McGinnest, Ty Law et al.

I give the Bills a degree of credit for their willingness to take a step backwards in order to move forward - which is what they are doing this season.

But the whole "team oriented" player - especially ones willing to play for less than top dollar is dependent on two things... having a coach/team leader they believe in, and more importantly, winning.

The article misses the point that the players on the Patriots wouldn't be running through walls for a guy who was only giving them 8-8 seasons, nor would they take less than top dollar value.

And while I applaud the Bills for trying to get high caliber players with the right attitude part of me questions how many of these guys there are in the NFL and indeed, those that are out there are attracted to a team and coach such that the Patriots offer.

So a sincere best of luck to the Bills if this is indeed their plan - but its a lot tougher than the Patriots made it look.

I also doubt they are thinking too long-term. Ralph Wilson is no spring chicken and isn't going to wait around forever for results. Marv Levy is the oldest GM in the NFL (older than Al Davis).

The Pats have always been a value organization when it comes to players. They value a player at a certain amount, and let the player go if they don't meet that value. They bring in veterans who can still play roles because they are good values for the money. They figure they can coach those players up.

It is true the Bills are letting some players go in FA, but they overpay for FA (although they may have to to get them to Buffalo considering they haven't won in a while). Last year they overpaid players like Josh Reed, Peerless Price, Robert Royal and Melvin Fowler. This year they overpaid for guys like Derrick Dockery, Chris Kelsay and Langston Walker. Those players were paid over what their previous production warranted, something the Pats would never do.

The Bills are a very young team with a lot of draft picks from the last couple years playing. They have some talented young players, but they lack depth in a lot of areas (especially on defense). They are hoping their young players develop quickly with playing time and are willing to play them. Their defense doesn't look real good. Their offense should be better if J.P. Losman continues to improve and establishes himself (no sure thing).

I also doubt they are thinking too long-term. Ralph Wilson is no spring chicken and isn't going to wait around forever for results. Marv Levy is the oldest GM in the NFL (older than Al Davis).

The Pats have always been a value organization when it comes to players. They value a player at a certain amount, and let the player go if they don't meet that value. They bring in veterans who can still play roles because they are good values for the money. They figure they can coach those players up.

It is true the Bills are letting some players go in FA, but they overpay for FA (although they may have to to get them to Buffalo considering they haven't won in a while). Last year they overpaid players like Josh Reed, Peerless Price, Robert Royal and Melvin Fowler. This year they overpaid for guys like Derrick Dockery, Chris Kelsay and Langston Walker. Those players were paid over what their previous production warranted, something the Pats would never do.

The Bills are a very young team with a lot of draft picks from the last couple years playing. They have some talented young players, but they lack depth in a lot of areas (especially on defense). They are hoping their young players develop quickly with playing time and are willing to play them. Their defense doesn't look real good. Their offense should be better if J.P. Losman continues to improve and establishes himself (no sure thing).

They are nothing like the Patriots.

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I think your point is correct, but I don't lke the phrasing. Welker, for instance, had not earned as much as NE gave him. But it looks like a near sure thing that he will. Future production is the key factor, not past, which is a key ingrediant that seperates NE's FO - and other good FOs - from the poor.

You are correct, though. Buffalo jettisoned some higher priced guys, and then they just gave that lot of money to guys that don't appear to be woth it.

The only Patriot-like thing the Bills did this off season was to invest there money in the the true infrastructure of a team and invest heavily in their OL. Teams are built from the lines out. While I understand their reluctance to overpay skill player, they felt no such compunction to over pay the OLmen they brought in, and depending on who you listen to....overpay by a LOT.

Another thing that the Pats have that the Bills don't is Tom Brady. His ability to make the most out of the least, allows the Pats FO much more flexibility. I don't think we appreciate the impact he has had on this franchise, and probably won't until he is gone and replaced by a very good QB, but NOT...Tom Brady

That being said, however, when the day comes and he is replaced, and the next QB, who ever he is, comes close to duplicating his success, then we will know for certain that the true genius in the Pats success HAS been the "SYSTEM"

Hopefully it will be close to another decade before we have that observation to look forward to.

The only Patriot-like thing the Bills did this off season was to invest there money in the the true infrastructure of a team and invest heavily in their OL. Teams are built from the lines out. While I understand their reluctance to overpay skill player, they felt no such compunction to over pay the OLmen they brought in, and depending on who you listen to....overpay by a LOT.

Another thing that the Pats have that the Bills don't is Tom Brady. His ability to make the most out of the least, allows the Pats FO much more flexibility. I don't think we appreciate the impact he has had on this franchise, and probably won't until he is gone and replaced by a very good QB, but NOT...Tom Brady

That being said, however, when the day comes and he is replaced, and the next QB, who ever he is, comes close to duplicating his success, then we will know for certain that the true genius in the Pats success HAS been the "SYSTEM"

Hopefully it will be close to another decade before we have that observation to look forward to.

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I hear a lot about how NE invested "in their lines' but in reality they only put much of anything into their DL. The OL, with the exception of one second rounder, was a collection of UDFAs, low tier FAs or low round picks until Mankins came along. They cultivated an OL, they did not invest much at all.

I hear a lot about how NE invested "in their lines' but in reality they only put much of anything into their DL. The OL, with the exception of one second rounder, was a collection of UDFAs, low tier FAs or low round picks until Mankins came along. They cultivated an OL, they did not invest much at all.

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Not at first, Oswlek, but if you notice that since 2004 they have drafted Mankins and resigned Koppen, Light, AND Neal to new and more expensive deals. BTW- because they were proactive with their OL and resigned everyone BEFORE their contracts ran out, the got their OL for a reasonable price, but still, it is NO LONGER a bargain basement OL. Clearly solidifying their OL by making a significant investment was a major priority for the FO

This is what I've been harping about... I disagree that the Bills are tyring to emulate the Patriots... I think that the Bills are trying to become a successful football team. To me, what they are attempting to do is some sort of cross between the Pats, the Steelers, and the Broncos.

They understand that they were put in a bad position (much like we were) with prior coaches and GMs... they further understand that they have to play a VERY competitive division every year... and the way to combat that is through the draft, through your trenches, and through your long term perspective.

Leaving aside the obvious pitfall that is their ownerships decision to spend less than cap... along with their inability to front the same type of money as the large market teams with signing bonuses... the Bills have been rebuilding for a few years now.... yes, Mularkey didn't get it done on the field... but his draft classes were pretty good.... and Juaron seems to be just the type of guy to bring them to the next level.

With their core players.... the season really comes down to JP Losman... I believe that he can/will play well enough (even with their sched.) for them to be "in the hunt" for the last playoff spot in week 12/13. I also think that they have the best shot at coming in second in the AFC East this year.

Does that mean that they are "good"... no... but, I believe that they are on the right path and are moving UP... they could be a problem for us in the years to come... more so than than the Jets and the Fins anyways.

Just my opinion... but they are better than the 2-14 team folks think that they are.

The problem is that so much comes down to the ability of a team to scout players. Both in terms of self-scouting -- who they can allow to walk -- and external scouting, how much to pay or how high to draft new players.

Buffalo won't have a chance until they get that under control. It may be early to know about Losman, but they have recently seemed to draft poorly with their early and expensive picks. They seemed to overpay for the FA's.

The Patriots have made their share of mistakes, but their first-rounder draft picks have been superb and their big-money FA's are generally good as well. They have had a workable plan when letting key veterans leave (lucky with Gostkowski or smart, I don't know, and unlucky with Branch or dumb, I don't know).

Like the Patriots, the Colts, the Eagles, and the Chargers seem to know what they're doing. The Bills are not in that class and it shows in the W-L column.

Does that mean that they are "good"... no... but, I believe that they are on the right path and are moving UP... they could be a problem for us in the years to come... more so than than the Jets and the Fins anyways.

Just my opinion... but they are better than the 2-14 team folks think that they are.

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I don't think they are a 2-14 team, but they aren't better than .500. They are a young team with potential offensively (if Losman and Lynch can live up to their talent).

They aren't real good anywhere on defense. I like Donte Whitner, but the rest of their secondary is suspect. They have a couple decnet young LB, but no depth to speak of there. They have a good, effort-type pass rusher in Schobel, but nobody up front who really scares teams into paying extra attention to them.

The Bills have drafted pretty well the last couple seasons. However, they have overpaid for middle-tier FA. Their FO made a couple questionable moves by first agreeing to not franchise Clements this year if he played last year (thus not being able to trade him, which is what they should have done) and then trading for Darwin Walker after he told them he wanted a contract extension. Now, he will head back to Philly.

The Jets are in better shape than the Bills or Dolphins, and the only team that possibly can challenge the Pats right now in the Division. Neither the Bills or Dolphins are ready to compete at that level.

It's all talk until they take the field anyways... we all have our own opinions... I've been wrong before, and I'm sure that I'll be wrong again! I just hope that I'm not wrong about the Pats this year.

In my link below,the guy writing the article does make a valid point and I did not realize it until I read this that in reality,I think the Bills let those 3 outstanding players in Fletcher,Clements and Spikes just walk out the door without resistance because they think they can duplicate what New England has done over the years and that is simply do not overpay for a player and if he does not accept the offer let him walk with no apprehension or hesitation.

I really think this is the Bills philosophy but there is one problem - The Bills do not have Belichick or Pioli to pull off letting key players go and don't have the overall talent to overcome these types of moves.

I think the Bills will find out like many other teams who in the future will let their aging but best players go that is you cannot duplicate what NE has done unless you have the FO capable of doing so - Not many teams have a strong FO and coach combos like the Patriots and many will regret losing those players and trying to replace them,some will succeed,many others will fail

I think the copycat Bills will regret this to a record of something like 5-11 this year,They did well in getting Whitner last year and had a good draft this year in getting Lynch and the other rookies but it will be awhile and a few years before it shows on the teams record.